Pennywise and socially foolish – An opinion

An Opinion – Submitted by Tony Crawford

Well, has National politics trickled down to our City? I am not sure. I was at a
Commission meeting where 3 out of 5 Commissioners voted to keep $25,000 out of the pockets of non-profit organizations such as  Barnabas, Council on the Aging, Micah’s Place and Starting Point.

It’s a long and complicated issue on how this removal of funding will effect those
organizations. There is this thing called “matching bucks,” which means the more
money they get from the City, the more they can obtain from other government grants.
$ 5,000 from the City could bring in a return of $50,000. Not a bad bang for your
buck.

I have have been told by some Commissioners who opposed this in the budget that they
do not feel that the Government should play a role in these issues and that these
organizations should be funded through private contributions. They also feel that
the government shouldn’t choose which charity the taxpayers’ dollars go to. I have
been told that we, as taxpayers in the City, already contribute tax dollars through
the County to fund these charities. This is a fact, we do.

I spoke with representatives at some of the organizations. I learned that when
they apply for grants, the fact that our own City will not directly and publicly
support them gives a very bad and misleading perception of their need and value to
our community. Lets face it, if the City itself is saying no, how can another
agency understand the value they bring to that City.

The local police and fire departments call on these non-profits during emergencies
and on a regular basis. This alone shows the value, need and cost savings they
provide to the City.  These organizations help:  beaten women; they provide meals,
rides, and baths, yes, something as basic as bathing, for the elderly; they help
the mentally challenged and provide education to our kids as well as family and
child counseling. I believe a dysfunctional child will grow up to be a
dysfunctional adult thus putting more of a social burden on society. This really
isn’t rocket science. We need these guys around and we need to let our
Commissioners know this.

I would guess there are about 8,000 taxpayers in the City. The $25,000 the
Commissioners turned down would work out to a little over $3.00 per year per
taxpayer. Someone has to convince me that the majority of taxpayers wouldn’t gladly
pay $3.00 to help support these organizations that day in and day help those in
need. From a strictly economic point of view, they help the City save money by
allowing the police and fire departments. do their job in a more cost effective manner and
remove a large burden off their shoulders.

What I would ask of all who are reading this is simple. Pick up the phone now. Give
your opinion. We as citizens hire our Commissioners and we can fire them come next
election. They are hired to do “our bidding” not theirs. They are hired to listen to
us and make their  decisions based on what we think, not their own opinion of the
way government should be run. They are here to represent the entire community, not
just the views and philosophies of those who voted them in. They will not and can
not please everyone– I think we all understand that. It is, however, our job to let
them know what we think before they vote. If we wait– we lose– and have no one to
blame but ourselves. I would urge you to call them and give your opinion on this
matter. Whether for or against, let them know where you stand.

There is a budget meeting Tuesday, Sept 3rd at 5:05 p.m. It’s not too late. If you wait, it will be too late.

Mayor Pelican 423-8644

Commissioner Corbett 583-1716

Commissioner Gass – 277-7987

Click here for email addresses.

Commissioners Filkoff and Boner supported this issue.

Editor’s note:   Tony Crawford moved to Fernandina Beach from New York fourteen years ago.   An avid city watcher, Tony finds watching local government at work, interesting, comical, and sad.

September 2, 2013 1:00 p.m.